


cat & mouse

by Lord Vitya (ProtoDan)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: (hence the double tagging since it could still go either way), (mostly it's about my two dinguses but the others do appear), (my characters are belligerent jerks), (this was going to be gen and then they started flirting without my permission), (which was not originally the plan), Bad Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, also zabraks have sharp teeth i will fight you on this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 12:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10571616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtoDan/pseuds/Lord%20Vitya
Summary: The first time she encountered the captain was on an Imperial's money, and the best she'd managed was to chase him out of the system for about a year. Ever since, she's made it a point to take every bounty on him—and by the stars, have there been a lot—as much for the sake of the chase as for the money. He's been one of the only targets who's genuinely managed to get away from her, either through outmaneuvering her or running until her ship is going on fumes.That makes him a challenge. And that makes him fun.





	

 Kaz has only just gotten out of bed when Mako rushes into the mess, oblivious (as usual) to the fact that the Zabrak is barely dressed and cradling a still-full mug of caf half the size of her head. Not exactly the best time to come barging in all excitable and—eugh— _awake_.

"Incoming call on the holo," Mako says. "I, uh, think you're gonna want to hear this."

Kaz grumbles, knocking back far more caf than any reasonable being should in a single gulp before ultimately deciding to just take it with her, to hell with it. If someone's going to interrupt her morning caf, she's not going to put it down just for appearance's sake. Especially not this early in the kriffing morning. She still has the sense of propriety to grab a loose shirt off one of the rails on her way to the holoterminal, though—that has to count for something. It takes a little effort to put on without spilling anything, but Kaz manages to slip the shirt over her head before she gets to the bridge.

Mostly decent now, she smacks the holo, and its image flickers to life. The caller is a Twi'lek male whom Kaz thinks could probably do with laying off the sweets, dressed in lavish Alderaanian finery. On the one hand, ugh, rich people. On the other, _hell yes,_  rich people. Kaz takes a long, slow drink from her caf, expectant.

"Ah, there you are, bounty hunter," he says. (She has a name, dammit. It's not that hard to pronounce.) "I have a potential job for you."

"I'm more interested in real jobs," Kaz says dryly, taking another sip. "But I'm sure we can work something out."

"I'm having an... issue," the Twi'lek continues, ignoring her. "You see, I'm a merchant by trade, and I've been dealing with a small group of bandits for the past few weeks now." Though his voice is perfectly level, there's a clear annoyance in the set of his mouth, and Kaz can just barely see the tips of his lekku twitching. "So small, in fact, that our security cams have only ever noted two perpetrators. They've been intercepting my shipments and bolting off with as much as they can snatch in a few minutes, and then—near as I can tell—selling it themselves, at a significant markup, to buyers on Hutt-owned worlds. If this continues, I could go out of business."

Kaz grins, flashing sharp teeth. "But you're clearly still doing well enough to _potentially_ hire me," she says.

The Twi'lek clears his throat. "Yes, well, I won't be for long," he mumbles, and then clears his throat. "I have, of course, looked into your typical fees, and I think I can more than accommodate you—should you choose to take the job." He runs a hand over his bald head, huffing. "Fifteen thousand credits alive, and double if you can just get rid of him for good."

"I'm going to need a name first," Kaz points out, despite how tempted she is to take that thirty thousand at face value. Holy hell, how desperate is this bastard? "And, you know, a starting point?"

"From what I've been able to gather, the lead bandit is a Republic smuggler who calls himself Adrin. Typically, he and his cronies strike our shipments just as they're leaving atmo, which—"

 _Adrin._  Oh, she knows that name. This'll be fun. Kaz's grin widens, sharp and eager. "I'll take it," she says. 

The Twi'lek starts, looking briefly affronted at the interruption before he realizes what she's said. "Ah. Well. I'll send you coordinates to our shipping point, as well as a copy of the shipping schedule. I look forward to working with you, bounty hunter."

The holo flickers off. "Kaz," she mutters. "My name is Kaz, dammit." Rolling her eyes, she chugs the rest of her caf before it goes cold. "Looks like we're going to Alderaan, Mako," she says. "You ready?"

"For _that_  much money?" Mako whistles. "I'll get the ship ready to jump in a couple minutes."

"Thanks, babe," Kaz says, patting her partner in crime on the shoulder on the way to her quarters. 

This isn't her first dance with this particular slimeball, and if she has her way, she'll figure out a way to get that thirty grand without making it her last. The first time she encountered the captain was on an Imperial's money, and the best she'd managed was to chase him out of the system for about a year. Ever since, she's made it a point to take every bounty on him—and by the stars, have there been a _lot_ —as much for the sake of the chase as for the money. He's been one of the only targets who's genuinely managed to get away from her, either through outmaneuvering her or running until her ship is going on fumes. 

That makes him a challenge. And that makes him _fun._

Kaz straps on her armor, grabbing a ration bar off her bedside table to keep herself going for what promises to be a long chase. She jogs to the cockpit, buckling into the pilot's seat with practiced speed and ease, trusting that Mako's already input the right coordinates. Sure enough, almost as soon as she's in the chair the stars stretch into starlines, and there's that familiar buck backwards as the G's yank her around. 

"He must really be making a nuisance of himself if that merchant guy is willing to bankrupt himself even more to get rid of him, huh?" Mako says, glancing at Kaz sidelong.

"No shit," Kaz agrees with a laugh. "Not that I'm all that surprised—being a nuisance is what he does best."

After a moment, the starlines become stars again, and they fall neatly into Alderaan's orbit. It's a damn pretty planet, and from out of atmo, you can't see the turmoil wrecking the ground below. Kaz takes control, steering the Mantis towards the shipping point the Twi'lek sent them. She glances at Mako.

"According to the schedule he gave us, the morning shipment's due to leave atmo in a little less than an hour." She  wrinkles her nose. "Talk about a sense of timing. He also sent a notice that Adrin doesn't tend to hit them on the ground, either—he likes to board their freighters and drag the goods through his airlock."

"More directions to run when you're already out in space," Kaz says. "Sounds just like him." She glances out the viewport, fingers tapping on her thigh, a tense rhythm. She sticks her tongue out at the empty space in front of them. "I hate waiting."

* * *

The next half hour is spent in planning, discussing what they know of the captain's preferred maneuvers, and how best to pincer him. They both know he's enough of a slippery son of a Hutt to make actually pinning him down difficult—but isn't that half the fun? (Mako, for _some_  reason, disagrees, clearly because she's a spoilsport.) 

"Y'know, one of these days we're going to have to actually kill him," Mako points out with a slight grimace.

"One of these days," Kaz says. She shrugs. "He's a lucky little shit, but his luck's gotta run out at some point. I just hope I'm there when it does." As disappointing as it will be when she does have to take him out for good, it just feels wrong to let someone else steal the kill. 

She cuts that train of thought short almost immediately when the ship's sensors start to beep with increasing insistence. Out the viewport, Kaz spots the merchant's ship, right on schedule. And just as on schedule, there's a familiar XS freighter coming out of hyperspace almost right on top of it. Kaz imagines she can see Adrin sitting in the cockpit, all cocky and determined. She grins.

"Showtime," Kaz says, unbuckling herself and giving Mako a thumbs-up to take over piloting the ship. She jumps down onto the lower level, making for the gunner's seat.

Licking her lips, hearts pounding, Kaz warms up the Mantis's cannons and fires a single shot to the XS freighter's port side. The smuggler's ship jerks and lurches, as if she's managed to startle its pilot into swerving. She lets out a triumphant laugh as the XS freighter starts moving away from the merchant ship, turning to go back the way it came. Oh, no no no, that is not happening. Mako swings the ship around, leaning into the turn as the Mantis cuts the XS freighter off. If only Kaz could see the look on the scumbag's face.

The merchant ship makes a jump to hyperspace in the confusion, leaving Kaz and Adrin alone in Alderaanian space. Mako follows the XS freighter's movements, keeping it from following suit. The plan, if they can pull it off, is to keep cutting him off, guiding his dodges until they can force him to make planetfall and pin him down on the ground. As much as Kaz doesn't want to cut their game short, those thirty thousand credits are damn appealing.

A quick volley of cannonfire makes for the Mantis's starboard side, which it dodges with an easy roll. "C'mon, you," Kaz hisses, squeezing the triggers again in a retaliatory shot to the hyperdrive, intending to cripple him. "I know you're better than that." 

The XS freighter lurches again, one of the engines sputtering until it goes dark. Kaz whoops, punching the air—and from the cockpit, she can hear Mako let out a yelp of joy. She fires again, grazing the other engine. It sputters like its twin, but manages to hold onto life. With one of his engines out of commission and one barely working, Adrin won't be able to run very far, and the only planet nearby that will let him lick his wounds and repair his ship is the one right below. As if following her logic in perfect unison, Adrin swerves, headed straight for the spaceport.

"That's it," Kaz whispers, the gunner's seat jerking as Mako pursues. "Right where I want you."

It's a testament to his skill that Adrin manages to make planetfall without actually crashing, despite the current state of his ship. It'll be a kriffing shame when she has to kill him. Given that he has no clearance to land—and, frankly, is probably deep in trouble with the local lawmen—the XS freighter lets down in a field a few klicks away from any major city centers. Kaz jumps out of the gunner's seat and climbs back up to the cockpit, strapping into the pilot's seat with a predatory grin on her face. Mako gives her the controls back, and she lands them smoothly on the ground. The engines have barely gone quiet before Kaz is out the door, explosives strapped to her belts and blasters out. Mako stays behind, on the controls, ready to leave at a second's notice.

There, standing behind his smoking ship with hands on his hips, is Captain Adrin, his splotchy lilac face scrunched up in dismay. He's apparently so wrapped up in his own despair that he only notices her coming when she's a few meters away. 

Adrin spins, going for his guns. His red eyes widen at the sight of her, then narrow in frustration. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?" he groans.

"Not at all," Kaz says cheerily. "You know, the Twi'lek you've been robbing blind offered me a pretty sweet contract—thirty thousand credits if I bring him a nice warm corpse."

"Someone else's corpse, right?" Adrin says. "Because I really don't want to die in a kriffing killik nest."

Kaz's grin makes the captain shrivel a little. "'fraid not, buddy." She fires a quick warning shot, barely missing his left foot and making him jump back with a yelp. "Let's dance."

"Not what I'd call dancing!" Adrin protests, firing back but going too wide. Kaz barely needs to dodge to avoid it. "If you'd stop trying to kill me every other week, maybe I could teach you how _actual_  dancing works."

Kaz makes a face as if she's actually considering it even as she fires both her blasters at him in unison, each bolt grazing his sides and searing through his vest and shirt. "Mmm... nah. This is way more fun."

Adrin ducks and rolls, tumbling behind a large rock. It's really, really not enough, but Kaz can't fault him for trying. Forgoing one of her blasters, she unclips a small grenade from her belt, clicks the button until it gives that familiar, friendly beep, and lobs it so it lands just behind him. The ensuing explosion throws Adrin forward, scorching the back of his clothes and filling the air with the smell of burnt hair.

"Kriffing hell, woman!" Adrin exclaims, pushing himself up onto his knees. He strips off his ruined vest with a huff. "That was my favorite shirt!"

Kaz lets out a long, genuine laugh. "Maybe don't go robbing people in fancy clothes," she says. "Just a tip."

Adrin tumbles again to dodge another quick shot from Kaz's off-hand. " _Thanks_ ," he says, voice heavy with sarcasm. "I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time a batshit wannabe Mandalorian comes for my head." 

She knows it's bad form to chat with her prey in the middle of a firefight, but these jabs add an extra layer of glee to the chase that she just can't resist. Kaz fires off another quick round of blaster bolts, and Adrin jerks away just in time for them to graze his cheek. Breathing heavily, he levels his own blasters at her again, one shot striking her armor and pinging off harmlessly. The other goes high, aimed at her forehead but instead clipping one of her horns. Kaz hisses, dropping to a crouch and firing back, striking his hand and knocking his blaster a meter away.

Kriffing _hell_ , that hurts. Fine. No more playing. Kaz kicks her jetpack into gear and leaps over him, firing off a volley of explosive rounds that send Adrin flying backwards, leaving him flat on his back. She drops down with her feet planted on either side of him before lifting up one boot to press it onto his throat. Adrin chokes under the pressure, free hand grabbing her ankle as if he has any hope of throwing her off. Kaz grins down at him.

"Any last words, flyboy?"

Adrin spits out what's probably an insult in a language she doesn't recognize. "Oh, go to hell," he groans, tilting back his head onto the burnt grass. "Not like there's anything I can say that'll keep you from blasting my face off."

"I don't know about that," Kaz says, shifting until she's kneeling over him, the sharp armor over her knee shoved up against his windpipe. A plan starts piecing itself together in her head, one that'll let her get paid _and_  keep up this little game. "Make it worth my while to give you over alive, Captain."

Adrin squints as his brain processes what she's suggesting. "You want me to bribe you to let someone _else_  make me their target practice? Really?"

"Once you're out of my hands and I've gotten my fee, I couldn't care less," Kaz says with a shrug. (Stars, if he's kept himself alive this long, he's got to be cleverer than this.) "But I'm still having fun with you, and it'd be a shame to put a bolt through that pretty little head. Not that it's any of _my_ business, but I'm sure your friends could figure some way to spring you before that Twi'lek makes mincemeat of you."

"You really think I'm pretty?" Adrin says dryly. Still, his face is thoughtful, which means he's realizing that his chances of survival are infinitely better if he takes her deal. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm even considering this. What do you consider 'worth your while', anyway?"

Kaz taps her chin in mock thought. "Twenty-five thousand," she says. "Fifteen to make up my losses for not handing your dead body over on a platter, plus ten for making me renege on my contract." Which leaves her ten grand up on the original deal, and with her favorite plaything still running around. Win-win.

Adrin wrinkles his nose. "Twenty." Kaz sighs and pushes the barrel of her blaster under his chin. Adrin gasps sharply. "Fine, fine, fine! If I actually live," he says, "I'll get you the money. On my, uh, honor."

Kaz snorts at that, but she lifts her knee up, moving so that Adrin can sit up. Of course, the second he does, she yanks an arm behind his back, jerking a startled yelp of pain out of him and making sure he can't move. "I like a little insurance," she says, pushing him onto his stomach before unclipping a set of durasteel cuffs from her belt and snapping them onto his wrists.

"I don't usually go for this kind of thing unless a girl buys me dinner first," Adrin says, voice slightly muffled by the dirt.

Kaz tightens the cuffs a little harder than necessary just for that. He sucks in a breath, then coughs on the soil. She raises herself to a crouch, grabbing Adrin's shoulder and tugging him up onto his knees. Fumbling a little, he manages to get himself up on his feet, and is rewarded with a blaster at the small of his back for his trouble. 

"Oh, come on," Adrin says. "No need for any of that. I swear I'll behave."

Kaz rolls her eyes. "Give me one reason I should believe that."

Adrin makes a small sound as if he's about to try and answer that, and then thinks better of it. "Okay, okay, fair enough. I just hope we don't have too far to go."

"Me too," Kaz says. "I don't think I'll be able to put up with your whining." Actually, come to think of it....

She bends down, reaching for the ruins of Adrin's vest. With a vibroknife, she cuts off a salvageable strip, thoroughly enjoying the noise of dismay he makes when he sees what she's doing. Kaz pries his mouth open with one hand, the other slipping the fabric between her teeth before dragging it around the back of his head. Once she's tied it to her liking, she puts her blaster back against his spine and pushes him forward.

"Let's take a walk."

The hike back to civilization is pleasantly silent now that Adrin's been suitably gagged. Kaz finds herself whistling as she observes the trees and animals they pass by. She can hear Adrin grumbling to himself even through the fabric, but he's a lot easier to ignore when he isn't actually talking. 

They walk for about an hour and a half without pause before soil and grass give way to cobbled roads. Adrin trips a little on the stone, unable to balance himself with his hands cuffed behind his back. Kaz grabs him by the arm to keep him from falling flat on his face. He makes a quiet noise of pain, but when he glances over his shoulder, there's at least a hint of gratitude in those faintly glowing eyes. 

Not for the first time since she first learned of his existence, Kaz wonders what the hell he even is. His eyes make her think of Chiss, but his skin is too light and splotchy, barely resembling the smooth lapis hue she knows to be typical. Some sort of hybrid, maybe? If it weren't for the fact that she'd have to ungag him, Kaz would be tempted to ask, but frankly, outside of a firefight, she prefers it when he can't talk. 

Dragging him aside and into the shade, Kaz takes her personal holo out and dials the Twi'lek. His image flickers to life, his expression turning to one of smug glee when he spots the bound captain.

"You have him!" The Twi'lek claps his hands together and lets out a glad sigh. "Excellent, excellent. I'm just wrapping up a deal with one of the representatives of House Organa. If you would be so kind as to meet me outside the city, we can finish our business and you can be on your way."

"I'll be there, don't you worry," Kaz replies. "Just don't get so happy that you forget my fee, all right?"

The Twi'lek smiles. "There's no need for concern. You'll have your credits and my eternal gratitude. I shall see you soon."

Kaz is tempted to note that only one of those things has any actual worth, but the holo flickers off first. Adrin makes a miserable noise through the gag. She kicks him in the calf, and he glares at her. "Oh, quit whining." Adrin grumbles back before heaving a long sigh, shoulders slumping. "C'mon, it's not like you're even going to be there very long," Kaz says, pushing him forward to get him walking again. "Your friends definitely saw where you were going, and unless they really hate you, they'll probably have you busted out by the end of the day." 

It's another ten minutes to the edge of the city just behind Castle Organa, where the Twi'lek and a small entourage of armed guards await. Adrin lets out a small whimper.

"You are my savior, bounty hunter," exclaims the Twi'lek, hands clasped together in delight. "I take it this scoundrel didn't give you too much trouble?"

"He chipped one of my horns," Kaz says, jabbing a finger towards the injured shard of bone. "Other than that, not a problem."

The Twi'lek beams at her. "Wonderful, wonderful." He beckons one of his guards, gesturing for him to take Adrin off Kaz's hands. When Kaz folds her arms over her chest, the Twi'lek pulls a datapad out of his back pocket, tapping in a familiar rhythm. "Fifteen thousand credits, as promised. It's been a pleasure doing business with you, my friend. I'll be sure to inform my comrades of your expedient service."

Kaz gives him a two-fingered salute and a small, twisted grin. "The pleasure's all mine," she says. She looks at Adrin, who looks positively crestfallen now. "You have fun, captain." 

Adrin groans as the guards turn him on his heels and march him towards the city. The Twi'lek bows to Kaz, who gives back a hearty little wave as he departs. As she turns to make her way back to her own ship, she finds herself greeted with the not-so-friendly faces of Adrin's crewmates: both human, one male and one female. The male looks at Kaz with a wary sort of distaste, while the female just looks exasperated.

"You just missed them," Kaz says with a shrug. "Bet if you run, you can catch them before he gets turned into ground meat." 

"Why should we trust you?" says the male, hand brushing against his blaster but, curiously and stupidly, not actually drawing it.

"You probably shouldn't," Kaz admits, flashing teeth. The male flinches a little. Chaos, has he never met a Zabrak before? "But he owes me a favor if you actually manage to catch up before they shoot him a few new holes, so. Maybe get on that."

The two humans glance at one another. The female puts her hand on her hip, and the male shrugs. "It's worth a shot if we can get the captain back," he says, though his voice is tinged with nervousness.

The female rolls her eyes. "And if we do, I'm demanding a vacation. Come on, Corso, let's go."

Kaz watches them go, keeping an eye on them until they disappear behind the castle. Now that that's out of her hands, she takes out her holo again and calls the ship. Mako's image flickers up, a wide grin on her face.

"Just checked your account for you, Zees," she says. "There's that fifteen he promised, and an extra five hundred besides. Guess our buddy over there thought you were just that great."

"I _am_  that great," Kaz points out. "Hang tight, Mako. I'll meet you back at the ship and we can ditch this place."

"You got it." The holo flickers out.

Fun as that excursion was, Kaz is already itching to get back into space. She powers up her jetpack, making her way back to the ship at a decent clip. The trees rush past, a blur of natural beauty, until she reaches the scorched earth she'd left behind. Her ship is right where she left it—naturally—, the ramp already lowered to let her in. Kaz drops back to the ground and makes her way back to the cockpit.

"Well, that was a profitable trip," she says. 

"I dunno, I was kind of expecting—" Mako stops herself at the quiet _ping_ from the ship's console. "Uh, another transfer just came through?"

Kaz's face splits into a feral grin. Well, that was fast. "How much?"

Mako looks through the transaction feed and lets out a low whistle. "Twenty-five thousand from an encrypted source. You want me to trace it?"

"I have a feeling I already know who it is," Kaz says with a laugh, "but go ahead. Might as well make sure he can't figure out a way to get it back." She kicks back, resting her feet on the console and putting her hands behind her head. "Like I said, profitable trip."

"You weren't kidding," Mako agrees. "Where to now?"

Kaz shrugs. "The day's still young, and I'm in the mood to keep earning money. What do you say we see what the bounty boards in the rest of the Core Worlds look like?"

"You got it, Zees," Mako says.

The Mantis lifts up and makes for the upper atmosphere, leaving the half-ruined XS freighter behind on the scorched ground below. A few quick calculations, and they're back out in open space.

Stars above, she loves her job.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written half on a whim and half because of an idea given to me by a friend over on my Tumblr (@lordvitya, wink wink, nudge nudge). I consider both Kaz and Adrin(/Vadrin, he goes by both)'s alignments to be "Chaotic Money", and the notion of them meeting was brought to my attention. Thus, this silliness.  
> I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I live for comments if you did! (Wink wink, nudge nudge.)


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